This invention relates generally to linking information displayed on a video display to additional information.
Hyperlinks (also called anchors or hotspots) are video display locations which a user can select to access a document or a web site (i.e. a collection of documents). Generally, a given document such as a hypertext markup language (HTML) document may have a hyperlink programmed onto the web page by indicating a given location displayed on the web page. When the user operates a pointing device on the designated embedded linking area, additional information may be accessed. Conventionally the embedded linked area is accessed by highlighting the linked area and operating a mouse button while a cursor or highlighting is arranged to point to the hyperlinked site.
The additional information may be additional video information, textual information, a web page or any of a variety of other information. A uniform resource locator (URL) is used to access the additional information. Absolute URLs locate external sites and relative URLs point to locations on the same web site or document.
Of course, the hyperlink works because the web page is programmed to include the embedded pointer. Thus, the hyperlinks become part of the code which defines the web page. The hyperlinks can be URLs or images which have associated URLs.
Because the hyperlinks are hard coded into the web page, once the hyperlinks are defined, it is relatively difficult to change them. Thus, if a given hyperlink points to a given source such as a web page, it generally will always point to that source unless the HTML code is rewritten.
In a number of circumstances, it would be desirable to enable the linking software to be redefined over time. Thus, at one time interval, when a user selects (or mouse clicks on) a given icon on a web page, one thing would happen and at another time a different thing would happen. This would allow greater flexibility and enables the web page creator to link to different sites at different times. For example the web page owner may sell the hyperlinks to different users at different times.
In conventional magnetic or optical media such as hard disks, magnetic tape, compact disks, digital video disks (DVD), and floppy disks, hyperlinking is generally not utilized. However, it would be desirable to enable reprogrammable hyperlinks from a variety of media including media storing video presentations such as movies.
Thus, there is a continuing need for better ways to link video information to other information in a way which may be readily reprogrammed and which is sufficiently flexible to enable additional information to be linked to information in a video presentation at various times.